Million Dollar Insurance Fraud Mastermind Gets Up to Ten Years in Prison

Philadelphia, July 29, 2010: The Honorable Rosemarie Defino-Nastasi sentenced Wallace “Pops” Morris a total of 4 to 10 years in prison today. Morris was also ordered to pay $440,000 in Restitution to 17 different insurance companies and serve 7 years consecutive state probation once he is released from prison. Morris earlier pleaded guilty to the insurance fraud pyramid scheme that involved 44 “fake” car accidents. Morris was the lead organizer of the criminal conspiracy that created fictitious auto accidents supported by “fake” police reports to claim personal injury losses in excess of $1 million dollars. The accidents ranged in value from $5,000 to $100,000. The majority of these phony claims were submitted to major insurance companies doing business in Pennsylvania such as AIG, Allstate, American Independent, Cambridge, Erie, GEICO, Liberty Mutual, Nationwide, Progressive, and State Farm.

To date over 116 people have been arrested, 91 have agreed to cooperate with the government, many of whom identified Morris as the alleged organizer and over 24 cases are open. Future arrests are pending.

Detective Alfredo Quintile of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office along with other detectives from the DA’s Insurance Fraud Unit, the National Insurance Crime Bureau and the investigative divisions of all insurance companies defrauded are credited with the successful investigation of this case. ADA Linda Montag (Insurance Fraud Unit) was the assigned prosecutor.